DMX To Get Clean? How Other Black Celebrities Have Beat Drug Addictions

It has been a ruff ride for X.

DMX has slipped, fallen and he can’t get up when it comes to drugs, his lawyer implied Tuesday after the rapper was sent to prison for violating the terms of his bail for tax evasion. The rapper, whose real name is Earl Simmons, failed a drug test following his premature departure from a court-ordered drug treatment program.

“I’d like to tell you I have total control of his movements, I don’t,” Murray Richman, DMX’s attorney, said after the lyricist appeared before Judge Jed Rakoff in Manhattan Federal Court. “I cannot make excuses anymore.”

DMX, 47, has been publicly open about his struggle with drugs throughout most of his life. The rapper, like many other celebrities, has found himself in and out of legal troubles over that crippling addiction which nearly killed him during an almost-fatal overdose in 2016.

Perhaps stories of how other celebrities, including Mary J. Blige and T.I., can be of some example to X on how to successfully kick his drug habit. T.I., who had trouble with the law over drug arrests and struggled with addiction to OxyContin, found help in other rappers’ support. The “King” lyricist partially credited Eminem for his sobriety when Em reached out to Tip while he was in prison.

But support from other celebrities isn’t enough: DMX will have to continue with rehab. Relapses are actually likely to occur due to the chronic nature of drug addiction, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. A relapse doesn’t necessarily mean that a treatment has failed, though other treatments may work better for him.

There’s something else that X has to add to the equation with treatment and support: He has to address the deeply embedded behaviors that drive his addiction. Blige, who abused cocaine for years, touched on how people use substances to cover up serious issues, from shame to guilt to depression. She had to confront her issues, as well as change her diet and add daily exercise to her life.

DMX has to let go of his emotional baggage. Hopefully, one day, he will be sober, healthy and back on stage.